The ‘Gaming Memes’ Instagram page does exactly what it says on the tin and shares funny and relatable memes about gaming. We’ve collected some of the top ones to share with you, Pandas. Scroll down to check them out, upvote your faves, and drop your best game recommendations in the comments. Bored Panda reached out to the team at ‘Weird Media,’ who created the massively popular ‘Gaming Memes’ and ‘Wasted’ accounts on Instagram, and Co-founder Cory Scandalis was kind enough to answer our questions. You’ll find our full interview with him below. More info: Instagram (Gaming Memes) | Instagram (Wasted) | WeirdMedia.com Some of the top genres we enjoy include RPG (especially dark fantasy), FPS, and old-school RTS games, although we’re also partial to anything spooky, weird, and artistic. We’ve found that one of the most fun things anyone can do is try out unexpected genres, developers, and games that you wouldn’t typically go for. It’s great to try new things (even when we’re feeling nostalgic and want to replay some oldies). According to Scandalis, the ‘Gaming Memes’ account “really took off” when Instagram users realized there was more depth to it than just sharing funny memes. “It became a space to celebrate our shared gaming experiences. The community’s response was amazing, especially when big game releases and events became hot topics for our memes,” he said. “Gaming creates a space where people come together, regardless of physical distance, offering an escape that feels just as real as everyday life. It’s a mix of art, storytelling, and interaction that reflects and shapes culture. People often show parts of themselves in these virtual worlds that they might not in real life. It shows how gaming can form genuine bonds and memories,” he explained to Bored Panda. “We’re on the edge of breakthroughs that could change gaming as we know it, maybe blurring the lines between player and creator,” Scandalis told us, adding that the “next big shift in gaming might be just around the corner.” And it might be “as game-changing as the leap from 2D to 3D.” If you enjoyed these memes, be sure to follow the ‘Gaming Memes’ Instagram page, and consider taking a peek at the ‘Wasted’ account, too. Meanwhile, to learn more about ‘Weird Media,’ as well as their brands, check out their website. While they are hilarious, they do require someone to be at least partially interested in gaming as a whole to understand the context necessary for the jokes to make sense. As reported by Statista, the video game market is projected to grow by 8.76% per year between 2024 and 2027. That means that in just a few short years, the market value should stand around $363.2 billion. Of course, these are just projections. Many things can (and probably will) change in that time. The industry might run into unforeseen problems or see unexpected booms in popularity. By 2027, it’s expected that there will be 1.472 billion video game players worldwide. The most profitable part of the market is in-game advertising, which is said to bring in a whopping $109.6 billion in revenue in 2024. However, despite these optimistic trends and the continuing popularity of video gaming, the industry has suffered some recent shocks. Video game industry workers have been losing jobs even if the companies themselves have been boasting about major profits from recent projects. GameSpot reports that industry giant Sony announced in late February of 2024 that it would lay off 900 employees, including people working at the well-known Naughty Dog and Insomniac studios. Electronic Arts (aka EA) announced that it would be letting go of 670 people, which is around 5% of its total workforce. Layoffs are nothing new in the video game industry. 2023 was a particularly brutal year as well. Reportedly, 11,250 gaming industry employees lost their jobs that year, as per PC Gamer’s calculations. Meanwhile, Kotaku reports that Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of the hotly-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI, just announced wide-sweeping cuts. It plans to lay off 5% of its workforce (around 11,000 people). Furthermore, it has canceled several projects that were already in development, valued at around $140 million. Meanwhile, as the final project deadline approaches, you’ll also likely experience a ‘crunch,’ where the staff work extremely long hours, trying to iron out bugs and implement the remaining features before ‘going gold.’ Or the unrealistic deadlines and changes in course mean that you end up having to put out an unfinished mess of a game that will take years of patches and updates to fix. It’s definitely not all sunshine and rainbows in the grueling and gritty gaming industry. We’d really like to hear your thoughts on everything. If you have a moment, share your opinions, experiences, and recommendations in the comments! Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
